We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dan Alex a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Dan, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

In October of 2021, I had just quit my job, was living in a rundown apartment with every pest infestation you can think of (yeah, even that one), severely depressed, and had no idea what to do next. I had only attempted stand-up a couple of times since coming to Atlanta and the results were NOT reassuring. I knew I wanted to keep at it, but I had no idea how to be successful on my own. I decided to take a chance and use some of my rapidly dwindling funds to sign up for the Laughing Skull Comedy Class that month. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

The class helped me develop a structure to the craft and my process, and more importantly, introduced me to a whole community of like-minded peers that I would continue to grow with. My comedy mentor, Plug Chapman, showed me the ropes and is still a close friend and supporter of my comedy journey, as are many more amazing people that I met during that time. It gave me the tools and connections I needed to start on the path to being the comedian and the person I wanted to be.

It’s definitely cliché to say, but living life to the fullest really is about taking risks. Taking risks introduces you to new situations, new people, new perspectives. It’s how we grow and develop and find find the things in life that bring us joy. Getting up on stage is a risk!

“What if I’m not funny?” “What if they hate me?” “What if I piss my pants and everyone calls me Dr. Pissypants for the rest of my life? ‘Now paging Dr. Pissypants, ‘ they’ll all say!”

It’s okay to be afraid of outcomes like that; it could happen to you. It’s NOT okay to let your fear of a bad outcome dictate how you live your life.

Dan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a stand-up comedian, writer, and actor, and I started my comedy journey some years ago in the midst of a complete upset of my life at the time. After moving to Atlanta in 2021 from Jacksonville, FL, I began pursuing comedy in earnest, and now I perform all over Atlanta and the surrounding areas at venues like the Laughing Skull Lounge, Alley Stage, Atlanta Comedy Theater Underground and more. I also coproduce a monthly stand-up comedy showcase with Peach Pit Productions at Coffee Bar Atlanta, and we plan on adding additional shows in new locations this year.

I’m always looking for new opportunities to collaborate with other creatives: comedians, filmmakers, and artists of any kind. For me, creativity and collaboration (especially in comedy) is how we as humans can come together to engage with all the insane problems we all face. I want to make people laugh and feel and take time away from all the noise in life to enjoy each good moment. If this isn’t nice, what is?

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

I think there’s a really simple answer to this: do it. It’s as easy to support artists and creatives as it is to talk about it. Each one of us have people in our lives who are creatives and artists, whether they tell jokes, act, paint, play music, or make sculptures. Next time you want a piece to hang over your fireplace, or a tattoo design, or a cake for your wedding, reach out to your creative friends. See what’s being sold at the community arts market before you buy that mass produced watercolor at Target. Go see a live comedy show (maybe even at Coffee Bar Atlanta, 1/26, tickets are $5, link in my bio) instead of sitting on the couch and watching Friends for the nineteenth time. It’s a trash show anyway.

Great art is everywhere, and finding it is as easy as looking for it. Do that.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I was raised as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and around 2017 I decided to leave the religion. This was no small decision to make, as it resulted in me being shunned by all of my JW friends and family, effectively the entire support network I had built up throughout my life up until that point. It also contributed to the end of my marriage, since I couldn’t reconcile staying in a relationship with someone who I would never see eye to eye with again, and who would never be accepting of my how I chose to live my life or who I was as a person. The years after leaving the Jehovah’s Witnesses were some of the darkest and most difficult years of my life, but I never regretted my decision.

Ultimately, I chose to leave the religion because their practices and beliefs conflicted with mine. I was living a double life, alternating between being the pious evangelizer in public and… well, not so much in my private life. The guilt of not being honest with myself and trying to present as a faithful member of a fundamentalist religion led me to heavy drinking and reckless behavior. I was hurting myself and those closest to me. Something had to give, so I made the decision to leave the Witnesses despite the personal cost.

At the end of the day, you have to be okay with yourself and how you’re living. Self-delusion is a poison that chips away at your peace of mind and leaves you unfulfilled and unhappy. This is your life and you are the only one responsible for it. Don’t live it passively, don’t accept what you’re told at face value. Walt Whitman put it better than I ever could: “Re-examine all you have been told in school or church or in any book, and dismiss whatever insults your own soul.”

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dan_alex_comedy/
• Follow Peach Pit Comedy: https://www.instagram.com/peachpit.comedy/
• See a Show: https://linktr.ee/peachpitcomedy

Image Credits
Nick Norris, Kara Reichart, Cesar Pichardo